Tonks, The Full Story
by Lullabee
Summary: Just as the title says Tonks, her childhood, and how it helped to shape her into the woman we know today. ON HOLD
1. Chapter 1

"Andromeda! How _dare_ you! That filth! That disgusting, scum of a _Mudblood_! It was bad enough you being in _Ravenclaw_, but a Mudblood?!" 

"Don't call him that! He's sweet and kind and funny and I _love _him!" Andromeda Black – soon to be Tonks – ran from the room, not bothering to hide her tears. She Apparated to her bedroom and started to pack – magically, of course – muttering and occasionally stabbing her wand furiously into random piles of clothing. She had nearly finished when a teenage boy's voice called through her door. 

"And'? You alone in there?"

Andromeda sniffed angrily, then shouted back, "Well, who else would be in here? Who else would be _consorting _with a _muggle-lover_?"

Sirius winced from outside, then pushed the door open cautiously, watching out for any stray jinxes that could be flying around – he knew his cousin's temper. When he was sure Andromeda hadn't put any jinxes in the room, ready to catch out unwary snoopers, he spoke again.

"Charmed, I'm sure. What's up with you?"

Andromeda sniffed again, but this time it didn't sound quite so murderous. "Sorry, Sirius. It's not your fault – Mother's just found out about Ted."

Sirius sidled in and sat on the bed. "Ouch."

"Yeah, ouch." Then Andromeda threw her head back proudly. "I don't care! I'm leaving _now_! Ted's asked if I – if I'd like to move in with him."

Sirius looked surprised. "Really? About time too, if you ask me. Never thought he'd get round to it – me and Prongsie had a bet on that he wouldn't ask you before the end of the Christmas holidays." Sirius rubbed his hands together. "Prongs owes me a galleon."

Andromeda looked outraged. "Sirius! You've been betting on my – ! Ooh, just you wait!"

Sirius backed away – he'd been on the receiving end of Andromeda's hexes before – then held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "No! It's okay! Just – just kidding!" He smiled hopefully, but he needn't have bothered. Andromeda had gone back to her packing. 

A year later, Andromeda and Ted's first child, Nymphadora Tonks, was born. Needless to say, none of the Blacks – except Sirius – attended the christening.

***


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I forgot the Disclaimer in the first chappie, so I'm putting it here. Everything in this story belongs to the great Goddess of...everything, J. K. Rowling, so I no sell and you no sue, capiche?

*

As Andromeda was fond of saying, Nymphadora had shown signs of being a Metamorphmagus at an early age. One night, when her daughter was about nine months old, Andromeda had come to kiss her goodnight and discovered that Charlotte now looked like Andromeda's great-aunt twice removed on her mothers side. Apart from giving Andromeda a heart attack, it also showed her that her daughter was a Metamorphmagi. Andromeda promptly changed 'Charlotte' into 'Nymphadora' and then sent a Howler to her mother, triumphantly announcing that "...the _mudblood_, as you call him, had fathered the only Metamorphmagi for over a century..." and that she would "... like to see a Black do any better!"

The Blacks didn't attend the Ceremony of the Magi either.

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"Nympha – dor – ah!"

Nymphadora grunted then went back to sleep. Ten minutes later, her mother's voice pierced, for the second time, the sleepy fog that wrapped itself around her brain.

"Nympha – dor – ah! Wake up, darling!"

Nymphadora gave up trying to sleep and dragged herself out of bed sleepily, wrapping the duvet around herself, then stomped downstairs.

"Hello, dear! Had a good night?" Andromeda seemed oblivious to her daughter's bad humour, fluttering around the pint-sized kitchen and placing a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, and beans in front of Nymphadora.

Nymphadora replied non-committally.

"That's nice, dear! Now, eat up! You've got a long day ahead of you – imagine, my little Nymphadora going to Hogwarts!" Andromeda looked up from her cooking long enough to see that her husband had entered the kitchen. "Oh, hello darling! Breakfast is on the table if you want it."

Ted Tonks was not a tidy man by nature, whereas Andromeda was naturally neat, almost to the point of obsession. Nymphadora could never understand why her parents loved each other, but assumed that her mother turned blind every time she used the bathroom after her husband. However, her parents' strangely strong relationship was the least of her worries at the moment. Today she would be starting at Hogwarts. That in itself was hardly remarkable, but, when coupled with the name Nymphadora and the fact that said Nymphadora was a Metamorphmagi, meant that starting school turned into a death-defying leap of faith.

As the morning went on, the leaden feeling in the pit of Nymphadora's stomach became worse, until she had to shut her eyes every time she passed the fireplace in the (also pint-sized) dining room, with it's large pot of Floo powder on the mantelpiece. After seeing her daughter unconsciously changing her hair colour to a weak, sickly looking green each time Hogwarts was mentioned (a sure sign that Nymphadora was feeling blue – AN: no pun intended!), Andromeda refrained from mentioning the school at all.

At 10:45, Nymphadora, Ted, Andromeda, a large trunk, a Comet Two-Forty, and an owl were standing by the fireplace, Andromeda holding the large pot of Floo powder.

First Nymphadora, plus trunk, owl and broom, stepped into the fireplace and shouted "King's Cross Station!", then Andromeda, then Ted.

When the Tonks' were finally standing on Platform 9 ¾, having successfully negotiated the muggle platforms – thanks to Ted – Nymphadora, instead of feeling weepy and upset like she was supposed to, was thinking furiously. The reason for this was that she was trying to think of some way of shortening 'Nymphadora' into something vaguely acceptable. After having dismissed Dora, Nymph, Phaddie, and numerous others, she was forced to give up on Nymphadora. Then she had a brainwave. Why not use 'Tonks' as a nickname? There was nothing sissy or airy-fairy about Tonks, and it was easy to remember – a crucial factor in her case. 

"Tonks. It has a certain _ring_ to it, don't you think?" Her owl hooted resignedly in reply.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: No, no, no! I won't say it! Huh? Sue? Okay, okay, you've convinced me – Everything...Belongs...To...J. K. Rowling! Noooooooooooooo!

Authors Note: I'm pretty sure that Regulus would have been at Hogwarts when Tonks was, but if anybody disagrees, I don't really care – poetic license, you know?

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Tonks walked along the carriage corridor, often peeping into compartments to see if there was anybody occupying them. The entire train was packed, so, several compartments later, she decided she'd just have to try to find one with as least people as possible in. Unfortunately for her, the next compartment she tried was full of Slytherins – and not just any Slytherins. Regulus Black, Tonks' cousin, noticed her peering in and nudged his cronies. 

"Well, if it isn't my dear second cousin Nymphadora. I haven't seen you in a while, my dear."

Tonks swallowed nervously, but answered her cousin nevertheless. "Oh, shut up Regulus. Just because I'm your cousin – " She ducked as a volley of hexes came flying at her, then fled. She could hear feet pounding behind, gaining on her with every step. 

"I'll get you for that, _half-blood_! Nobody but another Black tells a Black to shut up and gets away with it!"

Tonks turned at that, her fear forgotten. "I am a Black, actually! And if I'm not, then you're not either, because you're my cousin! I'm as pure-blood as you are, _Regulus_!"

Regulus sneered at her. "What about your father? Your dear old mudblood dad?"

"SHUT UP ABOUT MY DAD! _STUPEFY!_" Regulus dodged, then started after Tonks again.

In desperation, Tonks ran into the nearest compartment, changing her appearance as she did so. Her hair, instead of being its natural black, was now a mousy brown, she had freckles and a snub nose, and looked considerably shorter than she had been a few moments before. The occupants of the carriage stared at her as she collapsed into a seat, panting. After a few moments, Tonks noticed the looks. She grinned in an embarrassed way.

"Sorry about that. My cousin – he's not exactly, well, _fond_ of me. I am really sorry."

The other students were still staring at her.

"What?" Then she groaned. "I haven't got anything on my face, have I?"

They shook their heads mutely.

"Oh, no, Regulus didn't hit me with one of those hexes, did he?"

They shook their heads again.

"Well, what then?!" Tonks thought she was quite a patient person, as Blacks went, but the relentless staring was beginning to get on her nerves.

One of the boys summoned up the courage to speak. "Y – You just ch – changed your f – face!"

Tonks was puzzled for a second, then it dawned on her, and she pulled a face. "Oh, that. I'm sorry about that as well. Mum warned me about not changing in front of people unless I've told them about – about what I can do. I can change back if you want – I've been tutored this summer, so I can control it better."

This time a girl, after nudges from her friends, spoke up. "Um...control what, exactly?"

"Oh...I'm a Metamorphmagi." Tonks said matter-of-factly. "Still, I don't think I did too badly, you should have seen me when I was little – I was a right mess."

Some of the students, the muggle-born ones, just looked confused, but the ones coming from wizarding backgrounds started staring at her again, this time in awe. After a few minutes, Tonks began feeling uncomfortable. "Um, I really ought to be going. Do any of you know where a free compartment is?"

A girl stood up. "I don't know where an empty one is, but my sister's got one a few compartments down." She gave Tonks a friendly smile as they walked down the train. "I'm in the fourth year. My sister's starting this year, like you – unless you've come from another school?"

Tonks shook her head gratefully. "No, I'm in the first year. Thanks...most people think I'm some kind of freak, just because I can shapeshift."

"I know what you mean. Well, not about the shapeshifting, but about people thinking I'm a freak. When I started Hogwarts, this girl was spreading loads of rumours about me, because I'm a muggle-born. Some of them were really cruel, but quite a lot of people believed them." She shrugged. "She gave up after a while, when she saw that I didn't care."

"Did you?" asked Tonks interestedly. "Care, I mean?"

The girl smiled. "Yeah, course I did. It's not exactly fun, everyone talking about you behind your back and sniggering when you walk into classrooms. The trick is not to let the hurt show. Don't let them beat you and hold your head high. I'd be _proud_ if I was a Metamorphmagus. They're really rare – it must be brilliant, being so special." She smiled again. "Anyway, here's the compartment. I wish you luck with my sister – she drives _me_ round the bend!" Before Tonks could thank her, she was gone. 

Still thinking about what the fourth year had said, Tonks pushed open the compartment door. There were two people sitting in there – a boy and a girl. The girl looked up almost immediately, but the boy just carried on reading.

__

Hold your head high. Tonks grinned at them. "Hi. Do you mind if I sit here? It's just everywhere else was full, and your sister said I should come to you."

The girl grinned back. "Trust her. Yeah, course you can sit with us – it's not like he's any company."

The boy looked up. "I heard that! I am full of witty, sparkling conversational gems, I'll have you know! I can dazzle and amaze with my wonderful speech! I can – Oh hi! Please forgive my friend; I'm still training her to behave in public." (This to Tonks.)

The girl elbowed him with a glare, then turned back to Tonks. "_He's_ not potty-trained yet. I'm Liz Blake, by the way, and this is Alex Green."

"I'm Tonks." Liz raised an eyebrow, and Tonks blushed. "Well, my real name's Nymphadora Tonks but..."

Alex interrupted her. "Say no more." He shuddered. "_Nymphadora_?"

"_Alex_!" hissed Liz. 

"What? It's an awful name!" protested Alex.

"Alex! Shut up!" 

Alex retreated behind his magazine with an injured air. The rest of the journey passed uneventfully and in what seemed like no time at all, the train was pulling into the station.

"Firs' years! Firs' years to me!" Liz, Tonks, and Alex followed the booming voice – there was too much of the person's body to follow without cricking your neck – to a fleet of small boats. Liz, Tonks, and a nervous looking boy with fair hair were in one, while Alex and three girls were in another. The look on Alex's face gave Tonk's something to laugh about for weeks to come.

*

"Arlett, Robert!"

The nervous looking boy Liz and Tonks had shared a boat with on the way to the castle stepped forward. Squeezing his eyes tightly shut, he gingerly placed the Sorting Hat on his head.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Atcombes, Charlize!" A girl who seemed to have a permanent sneer stuck on her face lowered the hat onto her head. The answer came back almost immediately.

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Blake, Elizabeth!" Liz squeezed Tonks' hand then hurried forward.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

And so it went on – "Green, Alexander!". Alex wore the Hat for a surprisingly long time until it yelled, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Tonks was towards the end of the list, and the crowd of first-years around her was thinning alarmingly. 

"Tonks, Nymphadora!" Quite a few of the teachers, sitting at the High Table, turned in their seats – Tonks supposed they had been told she was a Metamorphmagus. None of the students seemed to notice though, and Tonks thanked her lucky stars that Andromeda had put her foot down about publicity when she was 'discovered'.

She walked towards the stool, which seemed to have moved a lot further away than it was a few seconds ago, and balanced the old hat on her head.

__

Oh, what have we here? A shapeshifter, I see...that's a great responsibility, you know...but where to put you? You've got brains, but oh dear...laziness is a reprehensible fault, my dear, remember that...Ah well, I think I'll say..."GRYFFINDOR!"

Tonks stumbled towards the table hung with red and gold, still blushing from what the Hat had said. 'Laziness is a fault to be reprehended', indeed!

The feast was excellent, and Tonks found herself yawning before it was over. On either side of her, Liz and Alex looked sleepy as well. As they followed a prefect to their dormitories, Tonks found herself thinking about what else the hat had said..._a great responsibility..._


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: It's all mine, I tell you, all of it! I'm not a random weirdo who happens to have a computer!

Okay, so I am but...oh, fine.

sigh

Everything belongs to JK Rowling except Liz and Alex, I'm not making any money out of this and blah de blah de blah.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Tonks was woken the next morning by Liz, shaking her urgently.

"Tonks! Wake up – you're going to be late for our first class if you don't!"

Tonks rolled over. "Whassa time?"

Liz was dressing frantically, holding some hair-clips in her mouth. "Aguno, ut ish eelyate!"

Tonks didn't try to work out what Liz had just said, but looked at the magical clock on her bedside table. It read quarter to nine. "Oh, Merlin! Where's my socks?"

Ten minutes later, the girls were running through the corridors and consulting the map of Hogwarts they had been given by the Gryffindor prefect.

"Left here, I think, unless – Oh no!" Tonks felt the staircase move beneath her feet, smoothly depositing her and Liz in a completely different corridor. The two were now utterly lost. Looking around, Tonks felt something akin to awe for all the other students, who seemed to have no problem finding their way about in the vast labyrinth of corridors that made up Hogwarts.

"Tonks!"

"Not now, Liz! I think if we take this passage – "

"Tonks!"

"What?!"

"Tonks, Professor Flitwick's just gone past and we've got Charms with him first lesson! If we follow him, we'll get to the classroom!"

"You're a genius. Haven't I said that all along?"

"Uh huh. Come on."

"No, I'm serious!"

"If you say so. Come _on_!"

A few minutes later, the two girls slid into their seats, flushed from running after Flitwick. Alex grinned at them then asked,

"Where were you? I've been waiting for ages."

Liz was about to answer, when Professor Flitwick started to take the register.

Stairs, she mouthed. Alex looked bemused, but nodded nonetheless.

As the three friends walked to their next class (Potions), Tonks regaled the other two with stories of her Morphmagus tutor, who had been hired by the Ministry to help Tonks control her transformations.

When they reached the dungeon door, Tonks felt a shiver of excitement run through her. She had always loved the fact that you change somebody's life irrevocably simply by adding an extra ingredient or changing the number of times you stirred a pot. She suddenly thought that potions like people: each one different, even of only by a hairs breadth. And she simply had an extra ingredient – she wasn't a freak, just a little more complicated. Then she pulled herself up sharp.

Where did that_ come from?_

Before Tonks had time to follow that thought up, the dungeon doors creaked open. She was about to have her first meeting with Severus Snape.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Oh, come on, people! Does anybody really think I could come up with something as great as HP? If anybody does, I'm flattered, but here's a newsflash: I DIDN'T!

Severus absently called the register for his new First Year class, not fully paying attention to the names he was reading. As he did so, he ran his eyes over the kids.

Scared witless, all of them. Probably feverishly trying to block out the stories their elder brothers, sisters, friends, and relatives had told them about Professor Snape, the hook-nosed, bat-like, Potions master, who was the closest friend of old Tolley, the Head of Slytherin House.

Tonks sat in her seat near the back, with her fingers tying knots in her lap. _Please don't call the register, please don't call the register, please don't – _

"…call the register. Abbott?"

_Jesus Christ! Would it kill these teachers to just miss out on one registration? It's bad enough being whispered about in the corridors, let alone having what I am announced every lesson. _

"Y – y – yes."

Severus sighed, his eyes hard diamonds in the parchment-like skin of his face. It would have been worse if he had started shouting. The entire class immediately shrank back in their seats, cowering.

"Oh, Abbott. Abbott, Abbott, Abbott. There's something you seem to have forgotten. What is it, Abbott?" He had come closer now and was practically nose to nose with his unfortunate victim.

The chunky boy with mousy hair plastered to his scalp gulped.

"I don't know. Mr Snape, I mean, Professor. No, I mean, Professor Snape."

It came out as barely more than a whisper.

"Let's refresh your memory, shall we?" Snape said, so quietly you could hardly hear him. Then he simply smiled; but it was a merciless, shark-like smile. If you could call it one, anyway. It was more a parting of the lips, than a smile.

He stopped parting his lips (there was no way Tonks could think of it as a smile, even if it did sound a little weird). Instead his face became cold, and his voice suddenly became a roar as he straightened up and started pacing the room, walking up and down the rows of desks.

"I will _not_ tolerate disrespect in this classroom. I will _not_ tolerate rudeness, carelessness, ignorance or apathy! When you address me, you address me as sir, and when I or another teacher enters the room, you will be up on your feet until you are given permission to sit! All work _must_ be neatly presented, or you will do it again until I am satisfied! _Is that clear_?"

The silence muffled them like blanket. No one moved or spoke.

"I said, _is that clear_?"

There were a few squeaks from those who were furthest away from him.

Severus glared at the rest of the class until a ragged chorus replied, "Yes, sir."

Tonks, who had been crossing her fingers, toes, eyes, and anything that _could_ be crossed (as well as everything else), breathed a sigh of relief as the Potions master seemed about to start the lesson, but she was too soon.

Severus, who was congratulating himself on a class well-terrified, and thus obedient, remembered the register open on his desk.

"Now, if I may continue…"

Tonks swore under her breath as he came to the T's.

"Trimble?"

"Here, Sir."

"Tell?"

"Here, Sir."

_Really_, thought Severus irritably. _They might have put at least _one_ interesting one in my class. It's almost as if – _Then his mind stopped in mid-sentence. The next name was Tonks

Tonks was the name of that muggle Andromeda Black had married. Their child had been important, a Metamorphmagus, he believed. If he was completely honest with himself, Severus had tried to stay out of it. His father – Anyway, the Dark One had made a lot of fuss about that one.

Of course, Albus and his most powerful allies had taken care of it, but Severus wondered, sometimes, if any of them really trusted him, their most important double agent. Well, it was in the very nature of a spy to be untrustworthy. Severus' mouth twisted in the parody of a smile. He would prove himself to all of them. Someday.

Suddenly, he realised he was gazing into space in the middle of a lesson. The students were staring at him with a mixture of curiosity and fear. He didn't blame them. From their point of view, it could have looked like anything. A teacher, who was known to be interested in the Dark Arts, suddenly breaking off in the middle of registration to sit stock still doing nothing. For all they knew, he could have been under the Imperious Curse.

These kids had grown up in a world fraught with danger and death. They had been taught protection spells, charms and potions since before they could talk. They probably couldn't remember a time when you couldn't go anywhere alone, or where you didn't have to activate wards when you returned from school. In fact, they would all be used to reading the papers and discovering their friends and relatives had been murdered or tortured until they could bear it no longer.

If they ever survived into adulthood, Severus would be prepared to bet that most of them would never completely trust anyone again.

Suddenly, he was overcome with a terrible, nameless fear. He slammed the register shut and hurried from the room, calling over his should as he did so, to read and then copy out the first page of the textbook.

_The first page of the textbook? What the hell is on that page? It doesn't matter. Something's wrong. I can feel it._

Sorry it was so short! I promise the next chappie will be longer! I know that this bit was mainly from Snape's POV, but I had to put it in otherwise it wouldn't make any sense later on. Bear with me, _please_!

Thanks to the people who reviewed, and to those who didn't – WHY THE HELL NOT! Get reviewing – it's really great when you read them (It makes me feel loved…). And I don't mind flames so if you think the story's awful, tell me so! I want to know what people think!

Just a few points which I want to clear up:

I set this part of the story about six months to a year before Harry did his thing and walloped Voldy, where Snape is working for Dumbledore. I spent a while working out whether the dates match and I'm pretty sure they do. For the purposes of this story, I'm saying that Voldy's been in power for about eight to ten years. Please note: I do not particularly care if HPATPS states clearly that it was only two years. I want that little mental monologue from Snape, and I _will_ get it in somewhere. Hmmm…Apparation. Not available on Hogwarts Airlines. Oh, screw it. Ah well, just pretend that…Hogwarts' Apparation shield/thing is down because…um…well, it's down, okay! The first few chapters were quite detailed (more like verging on ridiculously, if I'm honest with myself), and if I carry on doing a single day in each chapter like I am, its going to end up being about two hundred chapters of nothing much. After introducing all the characters etc, I'm only going to do the important parts. I usually forget to put in disclaimers, so if you don't see one, just don't pay any attention. I'll realise after a few weeks and put one in. Speaking of disclaimers… scrolls to top of page, then starts banging head on keyboard It's going in now, I promise! 


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